Promise of the Forgotten Samurai
by Soso Kawa
Summary: Motoko has always been a powerful swordswoman, but she once had a rival. After almost seven years of being apart, her rival has returned to Japan to make good on an old promise. Does Motoko have a chance to survive when she faces her first love?
1. A Dream from the Past

Promise of the Forgotten Samurai

I do not own any of the rights to any of the Love Hina books or merchandise. These are the property of Ken Akamatsu. This is a fanfiction written only to entertain, not to steal anything or show the views of anyone else. The only character that is originally mine in this story is River/Soso Kawa. Any reviews would be nice.

Prelude: A dream from the past

The two children chased each other back and forth across the training yard, wooden swords clashing every time they got within reach of each other. One was a young boy from a foreign country. The other, a tiny girl with long raven black hair, was Motoko, the daughter of the Gods' Cry school of kendo. Motoko was only about four years old, three years younger than the boy she was more playing with than sparring. Her wooden sword clacked against his, and easily fended off the counter attack. Standing a few feet away was Motoko's older sister. Tsuruko was the one who had been training the boy. She had refused to call him by his own name, instead she called him River. Motoko had always been curious why she would call him that, but Tsuruko would not reveal her reasons. Motoko noticed a sudden change in River's eyes and she stopped chasing him and fell into a defensive stance.

The dream had changed. Now Motoko was a beautiful young woman, her hair cut short. The wooden sword had been replaced by the blade her sister had used, the blade she had earned in combat. Before her stood a man with blonde hair that was tied back into a pony tail. A kodachi was in his hands in place of the wooden sword. A kodachi is shorter than a normal katana, but longer than the short sword, wakizashi. The kodachi is a powerful weapon if used correctly. Its size makes it perfect for close range combat, and can easily switch from offensive to defensive maneuvers. A deadly smile began to creep along the man's face. His eye flashed, and Motoko barely had time to shift her weight and raise her blade to catch the attack. She jumped back and slashed her sword, causing a cutting wind to fly towards her opponent. The man held out his palm towards the wind, and stopped it with his bare hand, pulling much of the ki energy into his hand. The force of the attack caused several small cuts on his hand. The blood flowed freely, but then it began to glow the ki energy. River wiped the blood upon his blade, filling it with the crimson ki energy. Motoko blinked, and River was gone. She started to turn, but it was too late. He stood a few feet behind her, his blade already slashing to perform the attack. Motoko's eyes widened. She had only seen this attack once. She screamed as the attack ripped into her.

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Motoko awoke, still screaming. She sat up trembling. She hadn't had a nightmare about him for a while. The door to her room slide open and several people entered, looking both scared and ready to fight. Su was in the lead, dressed in combat fatigues and carrying a rather large gun. Close behind her was Naru and Kitsune. Naru had long brown hair, while Kitsune had short lighter colored hair. Su was still just a little girl, but she was a princess and a genius inventor.

"What's going on," asked Naru as Su began to search the room for any signs of something she could blow up.

"Nothing. I just had a bad dream." Motoko didn't look at Naru, instead choosing to look down at the sheet that covered her. She didn't want to talk about it. River had been her best friend in her younger years, but more than that, he was her greatest rival. She had not thought of him for several years, so she was uncertain why he would suddenly be back in her mind. After her last battle with him, he had left to return to the United States to live with his family and finish his studies.

"Mo-Motoko! Are you hurt?" Motoko finally looked up at Naru, unsure of what she was asking.

"No, I'm fine. Why?" Motoko's eyes widened. Naru and Kitsune were shaking, and Su wasn't jumping around anymore. They were staring at her face. Motoko reached up with one hand and felt of her cheek, her hand came away with blood on it. But it wasn't hers. She didn't have a cut on her face.

"It can't be. How can his blood be here?"

"Motoko, what's going on? Whose blood could it be if not yours?"

Motoko didn't answer. She got up and went to the mirror. She didn't see any more blood. She wiped away what was left and quickly dressed herself. Her friends continued to watch as she picked up her sword.

"I need to be alone for a while. I'm going out to train. Let me have some time." Without waiting for a reply she pushed past them and began to head downstairs for the door.

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The train stopped and the crowd began to get off as the intercom sounded out that they had arrived. A young man with blond hair tied back in a pony tail was among the last to get off the train. Over his left shoulder was a large, tubular, bag. In his right hand was a letter. The young man read through the letter again, a smile on his face. He had not been in Japan for a long time. Now he was back, and he had one last battle to fight.

"I'm coming for you Motoko. I hope you remember our promise. Not a single day has passed that I haven't thought of it, thought of you."

He smiled again as he placed the letter in his pocket and began to head for the station exit. He had gotten a tip on Motoko's whereabouts from a close friend, Grandma Hinata. Now the hard part was going to be the final phase of his plan. He had to defeat Motoko.


	2. Duel at the Hot Spring

Promise of the Forgotten Samurai

I do not own any of the rights to any of the Love Hina books or merchandise. These are the property of Ken Akamatsu. This is a fanfiction written only to entertain, not to steal anything or show the views of anyone else. The only character that is originally mine in this story is River/Soso Kawa. Any reviews would be nice.

Chapter 1: Duel at the Hot Spring

Motoko had spent half the morning training, and finally decided to head back to the dorm. She was still troubled by her dream, but she needed food and rest. She had been training at the waterfall, so the walk she had a long walk back. She couldn't figure out why she had that dream. She was worried that it was a bad omen. Perhaps she should stay awake tonight to guard the dorm. If River was returning to Japan, surely he would head for Kyoto first to search for her. But knowing Tsuruko, it wouldn't be long before he was on the right trail. And if he was able to track her to Hinata… Motoko was still deep in thought when she heard someone calling out to her. Shinobu and Keitaro were waving at her from the door to the dorm.

Keitaro was the only man living at the dorm, mostly because he was the landlord, and partly because it was an all girls dormitory. Keitaro was the grandson of Grandma Hinata, so when Hinata left to go traveling around the world, she had left the dorms to Keitaro. At the time, Keitaro was studying to get into Tokyo University, so if he lived at the dorm, and ran it as the landlord, he would be closer to the university. At first he had met with a lot of resistance, especially from Motoko and Naru, but now he was really starting to become more of a man instead of the wimpy pervert that he had been.

"Motoko, Naru told me that something was bothering you. Do you want to talk about it?" Motoko felt her heart rate start to increase at the offer. She still had some feelings for him, even though he and Naru were dating. She had helped them get together, but even then had still made her own attempt to get him. Somehow, he had worked his way into the hearts of all the women at the dorm, especially those of Naru, Shinobu, and Motoko herself.

"Thank you Keitaro, but no. This is something I must deal with myself." Motoko started to say more, but the phone started to ring inside the dorm.

"I'll get it, you guys can keep talking." Shinobu ran off, leaving them alone.

"Keitaro… I need to ask a favor."

"What do you need? I'll do anything."

Motoko almost wanted to take him up on his offer of "anything" but decided against the thoughts that ran through her mind.

"Tonight I'm going to-"

"Sempai! Come quickly!" Shinobu had come running back outside, she seemed to be excited about something.

"What's wrong Shinobu?" Keitaro looked serious all of a sudden.

"It's Grandma Hinata on the phone! She says she needs to talk to you about a new tenant!"

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The steps leading up to the Hinata dormitory were just a large as he remembered from his childhood. He had only come here a few times, mostly during his training under Tsuruko. She had known Grandma Hinata pretty well, and had brought River here to train away from the eyes of the rest of the Gods' Cry school. Both Tsuruko and Hinata had recognized that he had more potential than even the current master of the school, and wanted to give him special training. The only one who they felt could rival him was Motoko, but she was still too young to draw on her full potential. That had been almost sixteen years ago. Now River climbed the steps, his eyes burning with a fire that he could hardly control. Motoko was here. She was not hiding her ki energy at all, making it easy for him to sense her presence. He quickened his pace as he climbed the stairs.

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"NO WAY! ONE MAN HERE IS BAD ENOUGH; WE DON'T NEED A SECOND ONE!"

"Please calm down Naru. Grandma Hinata said he was very trustworthy. I think it will be okay, and he isn't planning to stay for long."

Kitsune had come back from the tea shop when she heard about the new tenant. She smiled to herself. This kind of reminded her of when Keitaro had come to the dorm. Of course back then, they hadn't had as much warning about it his arrival. They had all chased him through the house, with him wearing only a bath towel. They had thought he was a pervert who had come to spy on them, not knowing he had been asked to come by Grandma Hinata, who had already left before he even arrived.

Mutsumi, looking cheerful as always took a seat on the sofa, holding Tama Chan, the hot spring turtle that she had given to Keitaro. Though she didn't actually live in the dormitory, she was a member of their little family and often came over to spend time with them. "Did Grandma Hinata tell you the name of the tenant?"

"It was odd, she just said that he was from America and here to finish some business." Keitaro was glad that not all of the girls seemed as against it as Naru. Mutsumi didn't seem to mind, and Kitsune looked to be planning something. Shinobu was a little worried, but okay with the idea. He looked over to see Motoko's reaction and was stunned. Motoko looked at if she was frozen in place.

"Keitaro, did you just say he's from America, as in the United State?"

"Yes, I believe so. Why?"

"We can't allow him to stay here. He will bring only misfortune!"

Everyone was shocked by Motoko's sudden outburst. The only person who ever seemed to make Motoko this upset was Keitaro, but for some reason, this mystery tenant had set her off before he even arrived.

"Motoko, we can't turn away someone that Grandma has already said can stay here. Please calm down. It will only be for a few months at the most."

"Keitaro, please believe me. No good can come of this."

They were interrupted by a knock on the door. All eyes turned to the door, waiting. Keitaro went to the door and opened it. The girls tried to see who was there, but Keitaro blocked the view.

"Hello?"

"Good day. This is the Hinata dormitory correct?" The male voice was rich and sounded very friendly.

"Yes it is. I'm Keitaro Urashima, the landlord. Are you the new tenant?"

"Yes I am. I suppose lady Hinata contacted you. I would like to stay here for a few months."

"Please come in, the other tenants are waiting inside."

The man who entered with Keitaro was slightly taller. He was wearing a white tee shirt, blue jeans, and a black leather jacket. He carried a large bag over his shoulder and carried a cane that was half the length of his body. His eyes were hidden behind a pair of dark sun glasses, and a white ball cap sat on his head. He had a friendly face, and a warm smile that seemed to light up the room. Even Naru seemed to lose some of her anger.

"Please, call me Soso Kawa. That is my preferred name." His smile widened as a small gasp escaped from Motoko's lips. The rest of the Hinata tenants glanced at her in surprise for a moment, but their attention quickly returned to the young man before them.

Kawa set his bag down beside the door and removed his sunglasses to reveal eyes that were such a rich green that they resembled a pair of priceless jade orbs. Motoko locked eyes with the new comer and knew at once that her suspicions were correct. Kawa, River, had found her once more. She didn't realize the sword was in her hand, or that she was moving to attack until after she had struck. The rest of the group was staring open mouthed at their ronin friend. Her sword had not met flesh and bone, but cold hard steel. The smiling young man had brought his cane up and with his free hand, had pulled it apart to reveal a hidden sword. The smile on Kawa's face turned sinister. His left hand released the wooden sheath, freeing his palm.

"Evil-Cutting Palm, Second Form." Kawa slammed his palm into Motoko's chest, blasting ki energy into her body. Motoko fell to her knees, dropping her sword as her clothes were ripped by her own attack. The shock on her face mirrored that of her friends. They had never seen anyone but Motoko and Tsuruko perform a Gods' Cry technique before. Keitaro had once pulled off the Stone Cutting Blade when fighting Motoko, but that had been because he had watched her use it several times, many of which were on him. Without looking at Motoko's battered form, Kawa picked up his things and looked at Keitaro.

"Could you please show me to my room? I would like to get some rest after my long journey."

"S-sure…" Keitaro led Soso Kawa upstairs, soon followed by all the residents of Hinata house with the exception of the lone ronin who was still on her knees. Her head was bowed, and her tears flowed freely. She stayed there for several minutes until she heard Naru and Keitaro arguing upstairs. She was sure everyone else was there as well. They all knew now that something had happened between her and their new guest. That alone shamed her more than she would have liked to admit. She started to stand when she noticed something. He had dropped his sunglasses when she had attacked. She picked them up along with her sword and what was left of her clothing and went to her room.

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Su and Shinobu walked out to the hot spring, feeling exhausted from the day's unexpected events. Shinobu pulled her towel more snuggly around her as she began to wade into the hot spring. She wasn't sure about Kawa, but Motoko's actions were still a mystery to her. She had attacked the man without provocation, but even more mysterious was his use of the Gods' Cry techniques. It hadn't occurred to Shinobu that he was carrying a weapon concealed in his cane, or that he could overcome Motoko in a matter of seconds. It was almost as if he had anticipated the attack before it came. Shinobu was shaken from her thoughts when Su jumped into the water causing it to splash her. The younger girl came up in a spray of water and bubbles, giggling contently.

"Su, do you think Motoko is alright? I mean that guy beat her so easily. The only person who can do that is her sister."

"Oh I wouldn't worry! My buddy Motoko isn't going to give up that easily. And I have a plan!"

"Really? What is it?"

"Well, I'm going to construct a bomb and place it under his bed. While he sleeps I'll set it off. Of course the whole area will radioactive for the hundred years or so…"

"Su! You can't blow up our home! We'll be killed too!" The blonde foreign girl laughed loudly at her friend's distress. Su was a genius inventor, but her inventions were all extremely dangerous. She was never short of powerful weapons, and her newest Mecha Tamago was more powerful than any of the designs before it. Su funded her inventions because she was a princess. Her country was small, but very wealthy. Su was an oddity there though. Most of the country wasn't very advanced when it came to technology. One of Su's dreams was to make her country the most technologically powerful nation. That dream was dwarfed by her biggest dream; to rule the world.

The door leading to the hot springs slid open again and the two girls looked up to see who was joining them. It was Motoko. She was carrying her sword and seemed to be lost in thought. Neither of the girls had seen her for hours. Both Motoko and Kawa had stayed in their rooms and not come down for dinner. Motoko didn't seem to notice she wasn't alone as she sat down in the water with a sigh. She closed her eyes and allowed herself to sink lower into the water, a small moan escaping her lips. She was finally about to relax when the water in front of her erupted as Su Sprang up shouting and waving her arms in a silly manner. Motoko yelled and stood, almost drawing her blade before realizing who she was facing. It was then that Motoko noticed Shinobu as well.

"I'm sorry Motoko! I didn't see her dive under the water or I would have warned you."

"Its okay, I was being careless. I was just thinking too much."

"What were you thinking about," giggled Su, a curious and silly smile on her face.

"I was thinking about River. That is what my sister always called him. Soso Kawa isn't his real name, just one he took after training under Tsuruko."

"So that's why he was about to use that move? I didn't know that the Gods' Cry had that many students."

"It doesn't Shinobu. There are very few people in this region, let alone from other countries that are accepted into the school. There is another branch of Gods' Cry that accepts more students, but most of them act as bodyguards and mercenaries. They don't follow the guidelines of our school as closely as the rest of us."

"Then why did your sister train him? And why did she give him the name such an odd name?"

"I'm afraid I don't have the answers to either of those questions. All I know is that he showed signs of potential at an early age, and then he suddenly decided to leave the school. I tried to stop him from leaving, but I did not succeed."

"That's because you let your guard down in the middle of the match."

The new voice caused the three young women to jump. They had been unaware of a fourth presence in the hot spring with them. The fog that almost always hung around the hot spring had cloaked Kawa, keeping him from view. Now that they knew he was there, they could make out his outline at the far edge of the hot spring. He was standing on a rock holding an extremely long sword, a nodachi. He would have looked quite scary, but on his head was perched Tama-Chan, the cute hot spring turtle who lived in the dormitory as Keitaro's pet. The small turtle waved on his it's flippers at the girls, causing Su to giggle and Shinobu to smile a little. Motoko stood up, drawing her blade. She couldn't believe she had let her guard down with him here. She hadn't even sensed him arrive. The fog began to clear a little and she realized why. He was soaking wet. It wasn't that he had walked in on them, but the other way around. Kawa had a towel wrapped around his waist, and had a basket full of soap and hair products tucked under his left arm. As usual, the friendly smile was on his face, but his green eyes were alight with a fire that Motoko didn't understand. It wasn't anger she saw there, but something else. Something she couldn't figure out.

"How dare you come here? What is it that you want? Why do you wish to torment me even more?" Motoko was about to continue her rant when she saw his smile falter a bit and the fire in his eyes die down and be replaced by something else. She saw pain in his eyes, and a growing sadness. But why would that hurt him? He was here to destroy her, so why would he care how she felt about him? It didn't make sense.

"I see. You've learned nothing about me at all then have you Motoko. You have no idea who I truly am or what I wish to achieve."

"I know all about you! You are a demon who corrupted my family and twisted their teaching to make your own technique! You turned my sister against me and made me look like a fool!"

"You needed no help there Motoko. Everything you said just now was a lie. The only thing twisted is your perception of the past. Do you want to know why I'm here? I came to force you to remember, to force you to submit to your own past."

Kawa left into the air, causing Tama to fly away, coming down with a powerful slash with his nodachi. Motoko deflected his blade with her own, but was forced down to one knee. She threw her left fist out a blast of wind ki energy, aiming for Kawa's exposed left side. Her attack slammed into his basket, but he was no longer there. Kawa had jumped back and now stood atop the water, his feet planted as firmly as if he was walking on land. Motoko rose up from her kneeling position, slashing with her sword to send another blast of ki energy. Kawa leapt again, bounding over the attack and landing safely behind Motoko. She knew she couldn't turn in time, but still she tried. She spun, raising her sword to block an attack that didn't come. Kawa stood watching her, still smiling. She saw his eyes once more. The pain was as evident as before, but he still had his sword held in an offensive stance. She saw him glance off to her right, and he suddenly sprang into action again. Su opened fire with a gun she had been working on before coming out to the hot spring. Where she had hidden it was something no one could figure out. The shots were red beams, instead of conventional bullets or her normal rockets. Su had used her most powerful weapons against Tsuruko before, and they had no effect. Because of that failure, she had begun developing the new beam weapons. These weapons could have easily broken through Tsuruko's barrier. The only problem was that Kawa wasn't Tsuruko, and he never used a barrier to protect himself. As the shots flew at Kawa, he raised his left palm allowing the beams to make contact. To Both Su and Motoko's horror, the beams stopped in front of him and began to form themselves into a tight little ball of energy.

"Beam weaponry? So Tsuruko was right about your friends Motoko. She said that there were some interesting people around you. But I'm afraid I can't use this energy. Please allow me to return it to you Su." The ball of energy flew back, at Su, hitting the water beside her and causing an explosion that sent her flying across the hot spring. She pulled herself up and climbed out of the water, panting heavily. Su tried to stand but was too weak from the attack.

"Motoko, he's too strong for me! I'm sorry I could not help you!"

"Su… Please stay back. This is my fight." Motoko turned her attention back to Kawa, her anger rising again. "How could you do that to her? She has nothing to do with that!" Her anger was met with a dark laugh.

"She attacked me, and you blame me for defending myself? How dare you Motoko? How dare you feel you are so righteous that I am nothing but mud on the bottom of your shoe? I didn't want to do this, but you need to learn the truth and stop living in your pitiful delusions." He ran at her again, but this time he was reckless. He raised his sword to bring it down in a powerful attack, but left himself open completely. Motoko took the opportunity and stabbed upwards with her blade, forcing it into Kawa's exposed chest. A gasp arose from the three women as the saw him look down at the blade and smile. His eyes rolled up into his head. Motoko realized what she had just done and memories of her childhood began to flood back into her mind. She saw when she had gotten a splinter in her finger that River had been the one to pull it out, and when she scrapped her knee a few days later it was River that had been there for her. He had cleaned he wound and placed Band-Aids on her knee. She remembered chasing him as he sang a silly song about bugs. She remembered them sharing their lunches when they took breaks from training. He had let her win in several of their practice matches the same way. He would intentionally leave himself open for her to attack him. The memory that burned inside of her the most was that he had been her best friend.

"RIVER! PLEASE NO!" Motoko screamed as she saw him begin to drop to his knees, the life draining from him. All of her anger had been replaced by fear. She knew now that he wasn't here to harm her. But now she was afraid of something else. She was afraid she had just killed the first man to ever care for her. She screamed again as she watched him, dying with her blade in his chest.


	3. Character Profile: Soso Kawa

Promise of the Forgotten Samurai

I do not own any of the rights to any of the Love Hina books or merchandise. These are the property of Ken Akamatsu. This is a fanfiction written only to entertain, not to steal anything or show the views of anyone else. The only character that is originally mine in this story is River/Soso Kawa. Any reviews would be nice.

Alright, I have chapter two relativly finished, but I have had a chance to submit it to a beta reader (Plan on doing it wednesday). I've been busy getting ready for christmas and had a chaotic thanksgiving. Soooo, I'm doing something special to make up for lost time. This will be the first of many:

Character Profiles: Soso Kawa, the River that can only move forward

Soso Kawa, also known as River, was born in America under the name Tristan Wayne (Though you will probably never see him use that name).

River is the son of a master swordsmen who trained alongside Eishin Kanoe. (Does this mean a Negima! Story/crossover later? Possibly. I'm still working on ideas for future adventures for River.) River's mother was an American diplomat to Japan, so River learned Japanese at a young age. It was his father's influence that made him see swordsmanship as a beautiful art form, so when he was three years old, River began his own Gods' Cry training. River always had a wild side and refused to go to school with normal children. He especially hated when his parents (His mother's influence) tried to force him into a private school for the the gifted and talented. River constantly skipped class and even vandilazed the school on more than one occasion. In the end, his rebellion won, and he was allowed to be home schooled in Japan by Tsuruko Aoyama. Because his mother was always busy, and his father starting black Ops work in the U.S. military, River was often left alone under Tsuruko's care. The two became close, and by the age of Seven years old, River was her top student in both normal studies and Gods' Cry. It was around this time that Tsuruko's Sister Motoko was old enough to begin her own training. She and River quickly became friends, and later made a promise of marriage when they were old enough. Later strife between them would cause River to move back to the United States at the age of thirteen. While in the United States, River continued his training, but began to focus more on other things. He started learning to cook at the age of fourteen, and at fifteen he was taking martial arts courses. At seventeen he was able to pass the test to get his GED. Though he did get his driver's license, River almost never drives a car. He prefers to use his own legs to get around, feeling that relying too much on machines makes one weak. At the age of twenty-one, he recieves two letters, one from Grandma Hinata who had helped in his studies, and one from Tsuruko. The contents of the letters would be spoiler so I will not post it here. These letters gave River hope and he immediatly went back to Japan to search for Motoko.

This next section will show the type of friendship that each character has with River as well as the level (Between one and 10)

Keitaro: Friendship level 5

Naru: Enemies: Level 3 (This isn't Naru bashing, just trying to keep with her character's thoughts about River's actions towards Motoko)

Shinobu: Friendship Level 2

Kitsune: Friendship Level 8 (The reason for this becomes more clear in the next chapter, already finished.)

Su: Friendship and semi-romantic level 5

Motoko: Romantic level 8, rival level 6

Tsuruko: Mentor/student level 10, friendship level 10

Grandma Hinata: mentor/student level 8, friendship level 9

As time goes on, I'll probably add more to this, and add other characters. This is only the first.


	4. What Lies in His Heart

Promise of the Forgotten Samurai

I do not own any of the rights to any of the Love Hina books or merchandise. These are the property of Ken Akamatsu. This is a fanfiction written only to entertain, not to steal anything or show the views of anyone else. The only character that is originally mine in this story is River/Soso Kawa. Any reviews would be nice.

Chapter 2: What lies in his heart?

Motoko's scream was cut short as the man impaled upon her sword disappeared in a puff of smoke. Left upon her blade was a paper figure cut roughly into the shape of a man. Written upon the paper was the name "Soso Kawa." Motoko's fear and sadness quickly left her to be replaced once again by rage. Shinobu waded over to her, looking confused, but happy that the man was not dead.

"Motoko, what happened? Where did he go?"

"This is a shikigami. He used magic to make a copy of himself. A normal Shikigami isn't very powerful, and often time can be very stupid. This one was different though. River placed his own ki energy into the shikigami to make it stronger, and more like him."

"Can you do that too Motoko?"

"In theory, yes. But to be honest, I've never tried. Few people in the Gods' Cry school use magic at all. All of our attacks are based on ki energy along with elemental power. I never knew that he had learned that ability. It makes sense though. Tsuruko used it against me once when I was younger. She created three copies of herself and the four of them attacked me. I couldn't even beat one of her, so making three more was a waste really. She thought it would speed up my training."

Su dove back into the water and swam over. She looked tired, but seemed to be alright.

"Don't worry Motoko! We can still beat him if he tries anything else. I'll make a super weapon! My next mecha tamago will be strong enough to handle eight copies of him!" She was back to her happy self. With a giggle she swam back to the edge of the hot spring and climbed out. She grabbed her things and ran back inside, heading for her bedroom and laboratory. Shinobu smile at her friend's exit before turning back to Motoko.

"We should talk to the others in the morning. Maybe Keitaro can get rid of him before he does anything else?"

"We can talk to them, but I don't want anything done about River. He's my responsibility. But… I'm not sure that I want him to leave just yet. I have some things that I need to think about. Good night Shinobu. I need to get some rest." Motoko didn't wait for Shinobu's answer before she started to leave. She wrapped her towel tightly around herself and headed for her room.

Motoko woke up early the next morning, still a little very uneasy about River, but she was determined to find a way to deal with him. She dressed slowly, paying more attention to her chest wrapping than usually. She had a feeling that there would be another fight today, so she wanted to make sure she was prepared in every way possible. His actions were similar to those that Tsuruko had used on her visits, so it was more likely that he wouldn't start something right away. She was still thinking about how to deal with him when the smell of fresh cooked food struck her. Shinobu and Keitaro were usually the first ones to get up, and both of them could cook to different degrees. Shinobu was on the level of a master chef, and Keitaro was pretty close, but still no on her level. Motoko allowed the smell to push River out of her mind for a while as she finished getting dressed.

Motoko walked down the stairs, enjoying the smell of the food. She doubted that Naru and Su were up yet, and Kitsune was very likely to stay in bed until breakfast was almost over. Motoko heard Shinobu talking to someone. She walked into the kitchen to find not two, but three people were awake. Keitaro sat at the table, looking through a study book. He was checking the answers and putting marks next to the wrong ones. Shinobu stood beside him, a sad look on her face every time Keitaro marked one wrong. At the stove stood the final member of the group, cooking breakfast. River's ponytail swung back and forth as he moved around, grabbing spices, and flipping a flat bread-looking substance. He was humming a tune that Motoko didn't recognize and he looked really happy. Motoko's mind drifted back into the past. She had never seen him cook, but he had often complained in the mornings to Tsuruko that he missed "A good American breakfast." She didn't know what he was making, but the delicious aroma made it clear to her what he had been talking about.

"What are you cooking?" Keitaro and Shinobu jumped when she spoke, having been too busy with Shinobu's studies to realize she was there. River chuckled at their surprise. He had sensed her when she had come down the stairs, but his cooking was more important than her at the moment.

"It's called pancakes. I'm also making eggs, sunny side up, of course. I would make bacon, but we don't have any."

"Bacon isn't something we normally eat here. Besides, what kind of breakfast is this for a warrior?"

"You are quite right Moto Chan, but it gets worse. You put butter and syrup on the pancakes as well! Why such a breakfast is not fitting for a warrior at all! So I'll show you mercy and eat your share as well. Would that make you happy?"

"Don't call me that you bastard! And no you can't eat my breakfast! If you can eat something like that, then I can too!"

"There's my girl."

"I'm NOT your girl!" Motoko began to reach for her sword,

"M-Motoko! Please calm down! We don't need anyone dying before breakfast!" Keitaro was on his feet, trying to calm down the enraged warrior. This probably would have been enough if River, still cooking with his back to her, had not started laughing. Motoko knocked Keitaro aside and ran at River, shouting a battle cry. She was about to attack when he turned pushed a piece of the cooked egg into her mouth. Motoko fell back, more startled by the food in her mouth than River. She landed on her butt with a thud as the taste of the egg hit her. She had never eaten an egg prepared like this, but the taste was very interesting. She could tell that it had only a little pit of salt and pepper added in. She looked up from her position to see River standing over her, his eyes closed and a smile on his face.

"Well, how is it? Does it need anything else before I take it off the fire?" His questions surprised her, but she was about to answer when she heard a groan nearby. Keitaro lay on the ground, a small bump appearing on his head where it had hit the table as he fell. Shinobu was hovering over him with a damp rag.

"Sempai? Please speak to me Sempai!"

"I'm okay Shinobu, just a little dazed." Keitaro sat up, smiling at the young woman. Though it was well known in their group that Keitaro could survive through just about anything, he did still feel the pain. Haruka had once commented that maybe he was just getting used to the daily beatings the girls performed upon him. Seeing Keitaro hurt again because of her stupidity caused shame to shoot through Motoko. She quickly got to her feet, her face turning red.

"I'm sorry Urashima! I-I should have been more careful and not gotten so angry! Please forgive me!" Without waiting for an answer she ran out of the room and out the front door.

"You've changed so little Moto Chan," commented River after her hasty exit. Keitaro got to his feet with Shinobu still trying to take care of his injury.

"I think that you and I should talk Mr. Kawa. You have been causing trouble for Motoko, and I think that I deserve some kind of explanation."

River's smile widened. He had sensed that there was strength beneath the calm and silly figure that Keitaro had shown before. To see him take a stand for Motoko made River both happy, and a little jealous. He knew that he looked like a villain, but for now that couldn't be helped.

"Alright, we can talk over breakfast. By the way, no one get's Moto Chan's breakfast. I put everything I had into making it for her. He ignored the puzzled looks he received and began to put plates on the table for the other tenants.

Breakfast had a tense beginning. Naru had led the rest of the group down to breakfast and Keitaro told them of the morning's events. Naru sat down mumbling about how she had been right all along. Kitsune on the other hand couldn't help but feel that most of the blame lay with Motoko. Motoko had attacked him without warning twice now, and both times there had been very little provocation. To Kitsune, it looked as if Motoko had been looking for a reason to attack Kawa. Su's opinion was closer to that of Naru. Kawa sat the table and served the food for everyone before he sat down himself. Everyone began to eat, though slowly at first, unsure if they should trust his cooking. Oddly enough it was Naru who spoke first.

"Wow! This is amazing!"

"Not really. It's just a simple breakfast. I have it every day almost back in the United States. I learned to make it after I got back from training here in Japan so I could cook it for Moto Chan when I returned." This casual statement got the attention of everyone at the table. Kawa acted as if he didn't notice and continued to eat. He cut a piece of his eggs and took a bite. He furrowed his brow in thought for a moment before putting a single shake of pepper upon the remainder of his eggs. He continued to eat as if the others were not even there. Slowly the others returned to their meal as well, with the exception of Keitaro.

"I think it's time you told us why you are here. You promised to tell us over breakfast."

"Yes, I did. I suppose that I should keep my promise then, considering that is what this is all about. A long time ago, I made a promise. So the reason I am here is to keep my promise. Does that answer your question?"

Naru slammed her palms on the table and stood up, glaring at their guest. "No that doesn't answer our question! There is more to it than that and we want to know what it is!"

"Oh my. I'm sorry if I upset you. I guess the truth is that I'm here to propose to Moto Chan."

Everyone stopped eating to stare at the young man. His smile never wavered as he looked at each of them. He knew they wanted to know more, and he couldn't help but wonder if they believed him.

"When we were younger, Motoko and I were very close. I promised her that we could get married when we were old enough. At the time, we were just little children and didn't really understand what we were promising each other. As we got older, Motoko forgot about our promise and began to focus only on her training. She took great pride in her strength and began to drift apart from me. She was beginning to see only her duty to the Gods' Cry school. I knew that until she was older, we could not be together. I knew this, but I still did not want to lose her. Even though we both had a duty to our school, I truly had fallen in love with her and wanted to keep our promise. I decided that I would do whatever it took to get her attention again. I challenged her to a duel in front of the whole school. She had no choice but to accept. In the end, I defeated her using a technique that I had developed in secret. I succeeded in getting her attention, but the cost was that I made her cry. I could not handle that. So I went to Tsuruko that night and told her I was leaving. I left Japan so that Motoko would have time to heal from the wounds I had place on both her body and her heart. But even then I still couldn't forget my promise to her. I came back to remind her of our promise. If nothing else, I want her to remember how we used to be."

Kawa looked around the room, searching the faces of the others for how they felt. He could see a bit of doubt in Naru's eyes. That was expected, but still a little sad. Kawa didn't like not being trusted. Moving on, he saw that Keiraro clearly believed him, and not only that, he also looked as if he wanted to help. Shinobu sitting on Keitaro's other side looked ready to cry. Kawa couldn't understand why. Was his tale that touching? He didn't think so. He looked to Su next. He found it odd, but he couldn't read her thoughts at all. This annoyed Kawa, but he decided to wait and see how she would act with the next part of his plan. The final person he looked at was Kitsune. The fox eyed woman wore a wide grin and it seemed as if she was planning something.

"Well if you love her so much, we should help you win her over right guys?"

"Absolutly not!" Naru shouted back at her best friend. She was about to say more when Keitaro wrapped his arm around her.

"Actually I agree. If anyone should know how it feels to want to keep a promise, it's you and me, Naru. Our promise is what brought us together, so we shouldn't stand in the way of theirs." Keitaro looked to the others for support, getting a thumbs up from Kitsune, and a nod from the Shinobu who had also started to smile. Su looked at Kawa for a moment, as if thinking things over. Keitaro was a little worried. If anyone was going to go against Kawa besides Naru, it was Su. Su had always cared about Motoko, seeing her as a friend and a sister. At times she had even joked (he assumed) about making Motoko her lover. He saw her shoulders tense up for a moment, but then she sighed and nodded her head.

"I'll help too. But if you hurt her, I'll blow you up with my Mecha Tamago mach 35!"

"I promise that if I can avoid hurting her in any way, that I will do it. But I can't promise that she will be very happy with me for a while." He gave her his famous smile as he reached a hand out to the young girl. She matched his with a smile that was just as mischievous as she shook his hand. Keitaro suddenly had a bad feeling about these two working together. Both had a love for causing trouble and were as unpredictable as a wild dog. He kept his worries to himself as everyone settled back into eating breakfast.

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Kawa walked into the teahouse with a loud yawn as he stretched. Kitsune was the only one around because everyone else had classes with the exception of Motoko who hadn't shown up since breakfast. Kawa had spent most of the morning training with the swords he had brought. In his collection were the cane sword, the nodachi his shikigami had used against Motoko, and finally his oldest and dearest blade, the kodachi. He had worked hard and was now tired and hungry, so he decided to both pay Kitsune a visit and get something to eat at the same time. Kitsune had become the manager of the teahouse after Haruka had decided to stay in Mol Mol with Seta. Mutsumi and Shinobu would often help her out, but had to miss work during the week because of classes. Kitsune didn't mind because business was slow in the mornings and she mostly had the teahouse to herself.

Kawa sat down at a table as Kitsune walked over. She was dressed in her usual sweat shirt and jeans, but now she had an apron tied around her waist. She had brought a bottle of sake over along with two small, round glasses. She sat the bottle and glasses down and took a seat across from Kawa and began to pour sake for both of them.

"That was a nice story at breakfast, but I don't buy it. Not completely at least." She glanced up at him from behind her sake glass. She had already downed her first glass and was working on her second one.

"Oh really? What part did you find to be false?" For once he wasn't smiling. He picked up his glass and finished it in one shot, just as Kitsune had. He poured himself another glass as she began to explain.

"I have no doubt that you meant it when you said you love her. But what I do doubt is that you left entirely because she cried about losing. Also that part about being happy about just making her remember what you used to have. If I'm right about you, then you will not be happy about it at all. You've got a lot of rage hidden inside you. I can feel it just under the surface."

"Hmm. You are pretty perceptive. Tsuruko didn't mention that. Grandma Hinata seemed to have trust in you though."

"That isn't giving me any answers big boy." She was now on her fifth glass as Kawa finished his fourth. This time she was the one to pour him another glass.

"Heh, I guess I can't fool you then. Part of the reason I challenged her was to get her attention. The other reason was because Tsuruko felt that if Motoko saw how far ahead I was in my training and skill that Motoko would try harder to defeat me. Instead it just ended up driving us farther apart and Motoko began to hate me, believing that I had defeated her to embarrass her. Gods' Cry has always had powerful master teachers. Tsuruko was supposed to become the next one, but even back then she was planning to give the job to Motoko. She wanted her to grow and realize her true potential. So our hopes to drive Motoko into a higher level of strength failed. I left because I was ashamed that I had agreed to do such a thing, and because Motoko hated me. Tsuruko felt that if Motoko was given enough time, she would be willing to learn the truth behind my actions and give me forgiveness. It was my hope that she would then come back to me. So I took my training back to America. I've been studying to be a lawyer as well. I've been taking online classes so it wouldn't get in the way of my training." He paused to finish off the last of his tenth glass. Kitsune had gained a major lead on him, now pouring her seventeenth glass.

"Shoo, how wouldz you feel if shee doesn't change 'er mind aboot yooo?" Kitsune had planned on learning everything she could from him by getting him drunk, but now she was beginning to realize her plan was about to collapse. She was drunk, and doubted she would remember if he said anything else. She was also at the point where she was too happy to care. She finished her glass and tried to pour another, but the bottle was now empty.

"Oopsy! Looksh like we needsh another bottle!" She began to stand up, but Kawa stood as well.

"Allow me to get it. You look as if you couldn't walk in a straight line if your life depended upon it."

"I can walk jusht fine!" Before she could prove her last statement, it occurred to her that she had lost her balance and was falling backwards. Her arms began to flail about as she fell. Kawa's hand shot out and grabbed her, jerking her towards him. She felt his arms wrap around her and heat rushed to her face. Unfortunately the sake had also had its affect on Kawa. When Kitsune hit his chest, it caused him to lose balance as well. He fell backwards, holding her to him to protect her. He crashed into a table and hit the ground with a heavy thud. Kitsune was sprawled across him, giggling happily.

"Sho who couldn't walk in a shraight line?"

He gave the woman on his chest a stern glare before his eyes softened and he began to laugh with her. After a moment their laughter died down and they tried to get up. As Kawa tried to sit up, he hit his head against the table he had hit when he first fell down. He fell back again, with Kitsune giggling into his chest. They were about to try again when the teahouse door opened and Motoko walked in.

"Kitsune I need to talk to…. Oh my God!"

Kawa saw the anger and hatred burn in her eyes, but then he saw tears. He called out to her as she turn and ran from the teahouse. He tried to get up, but was distracted by a sudden noise. Kitsune was snoring on his chest, seemingly unaware of what Motoko had just seen.

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AUTHOR'S NOTES: Sorry for taking so long to post this. I've had it done for almost a week, and I've actually finished the next chapter as well. I'll be doing some editing though, so it will be a while before I post it as well.


	5. Thunder God's Wrath

Chapter 3: Thunder God's Wrath

Motoko walked hastily across the yard, heading for the dormitory. The scene she had just witness was burned into her mind, causing tears of pain and sadness to flow freely down her cheeks. In her mind she saw the scene replay, unaware that it was slowly changing, becoming worse and worse. To her it wasn't just two people sprawled on the floor. She saw Kitsune kissing River, his hands working to slide her shirt up. They were wrapped around each other, writhing and moaning in pleasure. Motoko didn't realize how much her anger was turning the simple misunderstanding into a monumental affair.

"How could I have been such a fool? Of course he isn't here because he cares about me! And Kitsune of all people! I knew she was an opportunistic person, but I never realized she could do something so low!"

Motoko ran into the dormitory and up the stairs. She hurried into her room and began pulling clothing out of her drawers and tossed them to her bed. She didn't care if they came unfolded, she just needed to grab as much as she could. After emptying several drawers she grabbed a large bag, similar to the one River had brought with him and began to stuff clothing into it haphazardly. She filled the bag in a relatively short time and began searching the room for anything else she might need to take with her. Her eyes fell upon her sword and her heart began to race. It hadn't occurred to her before where she would go. Now she wondered if she could even return home. Tsuruko would be there, and she would surely side with River. Motoko had no doubt about her sister's loyalty to her favorite student.

Anger flared again inside of the raven haired girl. She had nowhere to go. She suddenly felt that she was surrounded by enemies. Tsuruko would try to help River get to her, Naru had stolen Keitaro from her, River had betrayed her twice now, and Kitsune was the instrument of his second betrayal. Motoko had nowhere to turn, nowhere to run. Her anger began to take over. She could allow herself to run away like a coward. She needed time to prepare, but she would not flee. She grabbed her bag and the sword. She would go to the waterfall and do as River had done years before. She would create and master a technique that could not be defeated. When she was ready, she would unleash her rage upon the man who had hurt her.

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Seeing Motoko had done much to sober up the very man that she had plotted against. He had managed to untangle himself from the sleeping form of Kitsune with little difficulty. River was surprised to find that she was very light. He carried her to the bar and laid her upon it, taking care not to wake her. He was worried about Motoko, but he wasn't sober enough to confront her. He decided it would be wisest to wait for her to have some time alone before he tried to explain anything to her. Once again he was faced with his old enemy. Motoko's rage had a way of blinding her to the truth. He had spent several years trying to decide how best to get through her anger to allow her to remember the truth about her past, instead of a twisted version of it. He had been testing his theory in the hot spring the night before when he had allowed her to kill his shikigami. The only way to combat her anger was to make her sad, to bring her to the point of tears. When she had thought she had killed him, her memories had started to return. He had been watching as she screamed his name, begging for him not to be dead. He felt that it was shameful and cruel, but he had to know if it would work. But now that he knew, he wasn't sure he could pull it off again. At least, not without dying for real.

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Kaolla Su was her normal self, cheerful and wild, doing whatever she pleased. She had decided to stop by the waterfall on the way back to the dorms. She still wasn't sure how she felt about Kawa's plans for Motoko, but she felt she could trust him. Kawa had given her the same feeling that Keitaro had when he first came to Hinata House as the clumsy failure he had been. She had been right about Keitaro, so did that mean that Kawa was a good man as well? Something about him made Su want to trust him. Kawa was different from Keitaro though. Keitaro reminded Su of her older brother, while Kawa reminded her more of Tsuruko. Tsuruko had always butted in on Motoko's life, but it was always with the intention of helping Motoko reach her full potential. Su planned on asking Kawa some questions later. She was still thinking about him when she spotted someone beside the waterfall. It was Motoko. Su started to run to her, but then she noticed something seemed odd. Motoko was facing the waterfall, her hand resting upon her sword that was still in its sheath. Time seemed to slow for a moment before suddenly springing forward. Motoko drew her blade and slashed upwards. A blast of lighting left her sword and traveled a quarter of the way up the waterfall before exploding, causing water to rain everywhere in the area. Motoko shouted in rage.

"It's still not enough! I have to be stronger or I'll never win! River, just wait a little longer! Then I'll show you what I can really do!" Motoko was breathing heavily. It was clear that she had been doing this for a while. Su had heard her, but didn't understand. What had happened to cause this? Su didn't want to see Motoko angry, but she also didn't think Kawa was a bad person. So if Kawa wasn't bad, then why was Motoko so angry? Why was she so set on defeating him? Su decided it was time to get back to the dormitory and find out.

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Motoko didn't show up for dinner that night, and Kawa never left his room. When everyone had returned home, they found a drunken Kitsune on the couch, snoring peacefully. Keitaro was concerned, but wasn't sure what to do. He noticed that Su was upset about something as well, but when he tried to talk to her, she just said that she needed to decide something for herself. Keitaro wasn't sure what she meant, but decided to give her some space. Shinobu prepared dinner as she always did, and set places at the table for everyone. The meal was shared by the four of them in almost complete silence. Everyone was finishing the last of the meal when Naru finally decided to say something.

"I knew that this was a bad idea! That man showed up and now look at everything that's happening! Motoko's MIA, Kitsune's passed out on the couch, Su looks like she will never be happy again, and we're still in the dark about why he's even here!"

"I'm not sure we know the whole story Naru. Something happened today, but until someone talks to us, we don't know anything. I'm worried about Motoko as well, but you can't blame him for everything. Kitsune gets drunk at least three times a week, and Motoko has always disappeared when she has something on her mind. We should wait to see what she does first. Maybe Kitsune can tell us something in the morning."

"Why are you protecting him Keitaro? He's trouble and you know it!"

Keitaro's reply was interrupted by Su standing up and taking her bowl to the sink. She came back to the table and picked up one of the extra bowls that had been set out for one of the three other tenants who had not shown up and filled it with food. Without saying a word, she walked out the door and into the night. Keitaro realized what she was doing instantly. He started to follow her, but Kitsune stumbled into the kitchen. She looked like she had been through Hell and back, but she had a weak smile on her face.

"Did I miss anything?"

"Kitsune, did something happen today?" Naru's frosty tone bothered Kitsune.

"Hmm? I don't know. Let me think for a second. I remember that Kawa came into the tea house for lunch today. I wanted to ask him some questions so I brought out a bottle of my special sake. We talked for a while. But then we ran out of sake. After that I don't remember a thing."

"Wait a minute! You were drinking with Kawa?" Naru was almost screaming now. She couldn't believe that Kitsune had been so stupid. Didn't she realize how dangerous that man was? She was about to say more when she heard the door open and Su walked into the kitchen again. She grabbed another bowl and filled it as well, but this time she went upstairs with it. Naru was a little confused by this, but Keitaro stood up and started to follow her. After a moment Shinobu stood up and followed Keitaro, leaving Naru and Kitsune alone in the kitchen.

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River was so focused on cleaning his blades that when his door suddenly slid open, he jumped, cutting his left hand on the sharp edge of his kodachi. He looked up to see Su walked in with a bowl of food. She closed the door behind her and brought the bowl to him and sat down beside him. She didn't seem to notice the blood, as she handed him the food. He thanked her for the food and took one of his cleaning rags and began to wipe the blood from his hand. He was glad to see that it was a shallow cut that would heal quickly. He didn't need a handicap if Motoko decided to attack him in a blind rage. He was a little curious as to why Su was still sitting beside him, watching him, but he picked up the bowl so that he could eat something. It was then that it occurred to him that he didn't have any utensils to eat with. Su apparently realized this too, because her face turned red at that moment. He smile at her and brought the bowl to his lips allowing the food to slip into his mouth. She seemed to be happy with that because she smiled as well.

Su had come into the room prepared to do battle with him after seeing Motoko again, but after seeing him smile and thank her for the food, she once again felt that he was a good person. Su loved Motoko very much, but they had disagreed about Keitaro as well. She wasn't sure why she felt that she could trust him, or even if the story he had told was true, but he had made her a promise not to hurt Motoko. A promise she was now unsure if he should keep. Motoko was planning something bad for him, but he seemed to just be waiting for something to happen. Su wanted to take sides in this conflict, but every time she thought she knew who to support, something would change her mind. She was so confused about her feelings that she didn't know what to do. She watched him as he ate, and a warm feeling began to flow into her. He seemed so gentle right now that it was hard to image him as the wild eyed man with the wicked smile that had attacked Motoko in the hot springs.

"Su, what would you do for someone you love? Would you die for that person? Would you allow your life to be taken just to show them the truth?"

"What do you mean?"

"Su… I may die soon."

"Die? What is going on? You are acting strange now"

"Motoko saw me and Kitsune. We had tripped earlier today and she had landed on top of me. I had let my guard down and drank some of Kitsune's sake. I think Kitsune was trying to learn what I had planned for Motoko. Unfortunately, Motoko saw us on the ground and ran away before I could explain. If I know Motoko, she's letting her anger control her and warp what she saw."

"She is a good person. She may be angry now, but she will forgive you." Su didn't believe her own words, but now she knew the truth. She could tell now that he was in need of someone, and she was the one that was there. Su had never been anyone's confidant, though she had used Keitaro as one once when she had lost a tooth. She could understand how he felt right then. He needed someone to talk to, someone who would give him confidence. Especially if he was thinking about death.

"Su, you are a sweet kid, but I doubt it will be that easy. I'm strong, but Motoko has power much greater than my own. That's why I keep pushing her. When she is able to dispel her anger, she will be a terrifying force. Though to be honest, I'm more afraid of an angry Motoko. I want to cut through her anger, but the only way I've found that works is to make her cry. When she cries, she begins to realize the truth. But right now, I don't know of anything that would make her cry."

"You are afraid of Motoko? That is hard to believe."

"I learned to fight, but I don't like to. I wanted to learn how to use a sword because I saw it as an art form that was dying away. It was all fun in the beginning. I started my training before Motoko, but even at a young age, I was entranced by her. Even at four years old she was a beautiful girl. Now that's she's eighteen, I can hardly stand to look at her because of her beauty. As we got older, I saw her true strength was being wasted. She didn't believe in herself. I think that it is when she is angry that she begins to reach her potential. I learned the hard way that you can't fight when you are angry. If you do, you will end up harming yourself more than you enemy. That is why I have to break her anger."

"But what will you do? She's too strong now!" Su immediately wished that she hadn't said that. Kawa's eyes locked with her and he knew that Su wasn't telling him something.

"What is she doing Su? Please, you have to tell me!"

"She was trying to create a new attack. She was practicing when I came home."

"A new attack? No! No no no! This is bad!"

"What's wrong? Why is that bad?"

"It takes a year at least to master a technique that has never been used before simply because of the experimentation that goes along with it. One wrong move, adding too much or too little ki energy, can kill you! When I created my blood render technique I almost bled to death because I was careless. If Motoko lets her anger guide her, she could easily end up killing herself!"

Su felt as if she had just been stabbed through the heart. She had seen how powerful the attack was earlier, and Motoko had sounded like she needed more power. Su now realized that Motoko was pushing herself too hard. With one little mistake, Motoko's energy could explode early or the lightning could backfire. She now saw that keeping Motoko's activities secret was more dangerous to Motoko than anyone else.

"You must hurry! She's by the waterfall, practicing a lightning attack that explodes! It nearly cut through the waterfall the last time I saw her perform it!'

"Thank you Su." He reached out and caressed her cheek, smiling at her, before standing and quickly grabbing his weapons. He strapped his Nodachi to his back and his kodachi to his left hip before picking up his cane. He was about to head for the door of his room when Su grabbed his hand. He looked back at her startled. He had been prepared to say something until he saw the young woman's face. She had a determined look on her face. She looked scared, and really sad.

"You can't go!"

"I have to or Motoko could kill herself!"

"You are planning to die!"

"So what if I am? It's my life and if I decide to commit myself to suicide, that's my decision!"

"I don't want you or Motoko to die!" He was on the verge of telling her that she was a child who had no understanding of the situation when he saw the tears in her eyes. He knew that Su cared a lot about Motoko, but it had never occurred to him that someone at Hinata house might actually care about him. He was scared, probably more so than Su, but he had do stop Motoko. It was his duty as a student of the Gods' Cry school to preserve Motoko's life, but more than that, it was his love for her that made him want to rush to certain death. He reached out with his free hand and pulled Su close, holding her for a few moments.

"I promise you that I will not die. I'll survive somehow and I'll bring Motoko back here. Please trust me. I will not lie to you, this will not be easy. You've given me some hope though. I may just be able to do this." He released her from the embrace and turned to the door. Su let go of his hand and sat down on the floor as Kawa walked out the door. Kawa heard her begin to sob, but would not turn around. Su was a nice girl, but he loved Motoko. He would do anything for her, including break his promises.

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River had started to go straight to the waterfall, but in the end decided to play it safe. It was too dark for a normal assault, so he decided to bide his time and wait for the first rays of morning light. He spent the hours he had left checking his equipment and getting a little rest. He felt that he wasn't in any shape for this fight. He was tired, a little hungry, and he was still feeling the hangover from his drinking with Kitsune. The precious time he had seemed to slip through his fingers like water. River spent the final thirty minutes clearing his mind of all thoughts, allowing only thoughts of serenity and beauty. When the sun light began to shine into the woods where he had sat, River knew it was time. He picked up his weapons and headed for the waterfall.

River was surprised to find that Motoko was nowhere in sight. He stood looking at the foot of the waterfall, wondering where she could have gone. It was only his instincts and reflexes that saved him from the first attack. He jumped backwards, sensing something above him. As he landed, he saw a blast of lightning hit the grown where he had been standing and explode. It was then that he realized the position he was in. Motoko stood high atop the waterfall, using her keen eyes to track him. She had seen him coming and had waited for him to get close enough to be well within her effective range. Without even having to come down, she could hurl death at him, sending ten of her newly developed attacks down every second. She called it the Thunder God's Rage. Within a short time, she had not only mastered her new attack, but she could now perform several variations of it. She sent ten strikes, each of which separated into five smaller attacks that scattered around. She laughed as she watched River jump and dodge the barrage. It would only be a matter of time before he was worn down or slipped up. She laughed like a woman possessed by an evil spirit as she began to rain down her judgment upon him.

River knew he was at a major disadvantage. He could easily dodge some of the attacks, but where they hit when they scattered was almost completely random. Just as he would dodge one, he would almost certainly jump into the path of another. The attacks were relentless, he didn't have enough time to prepare a counter attack, and his ki was virtually useless when fleeing. He could see now that Motoko had defiantly tapped into her potential, because even Tsuruko had never used something like this in a fight. He jumped to the side in time to avoid another attack, but he landed wrong and his left foot slid, causing him to lose his balance. He saw the attack coming, but didn't have a chance to avoid it. The bolt of ki charged lightning struck right in front of him. The explosion sent him flying backwards. He landed with a sickening thud and lay there twitching.


	6. Breaking Through

NOTE: I do not own the rights to Love Hina. This is purely a fanfiction for the enjoyment of others. It is not created for profit.

Chapter 4: Breaking Through

River's body felt numb. He could feel the blood flowing down his face, and his hands were shaking almost uncontrollably. That last attack had almost killed him, and the waves of pain flowing through him were worse than anything he had ever known. It was then that he noticed the barrage had stopped. Motoko had ceased her attack when he had fallen. Now she stood atop the waterfall, watching to see if he would rise again. He knew that he was going to lose if something didn't change soon. But then his thoughts went to Su. He had promised her that he would survive. He wondered what she would say if she could see him now. The thought made him chuckle and gave him strength.

He stood slowly, chuckling to himself. He knew what he had to do, but he needed to get closer to Motoko. He had dropped his cane sword during the first wave of attacks, and his kodachi had been blown away from him in the explosion. He only had his nodachi, but his hands were shaking too much to effectively use the long sword. He looked up at Motoko and smiled.

"Su would probably say something about my HP being in the red, but I don't have a potion to heal with. I guess I'm just going to have to find some way to take you with me."

He was still smiling when Motoko slashed her blade again, sending down another wave of attacks. River didn't move. He didn't have the strength to keep up the dodging game anymore. He theorized that he had about enough energy to pull off five ki attacks, one of which he had to save for Motoko. He slid his hands through his bloody hair and took a defensive stance. He was going to try blocking with his own special technique. The Blood Render was versatile, so he had hope left. He slammed a palm upwards, sending his own ki energy into the lightning attack at the last moment. The true strength of his ability worked as he had predicted. His special technique was designed not to defeat an opponent, but to disable their use of ki energy and to cripple the body for a short time. The truth behind the Blood Render was that by using his own blood as a catalyst, River's ki energy could be used to disrupt the flow of someone else's ki energy. When his charged blood entered someone else's blood system, it would cause waves of pain that would render the victim almost completely paralyzed. His defense worked and all he received was a short sizzle in his palm. He now wished that he had thought of this defense sooner.

He didn't have long to celebrate. Motoko began to attack again with her full strength. She sent several consecutive waves at River within a matter of seconds. River saw the attacks coming and knew he couldn't block them all. He fell to his knees, watching death approach him.

"You can't give up yet! Su has joined your party!" The attacks that were raining from the sky were interrupted by laser blasts that caused them to explode while still in the air. A large object was flying towards the battle at high speed with a large particle cannon attached to the top. The object was in the shape of a rather large turtle. Su's new mecha Tamago was everything she had promised Motoko it would be. Besides the rather obvious beam cannon, it also had several smaller cannons in the flippers that acted as wings. Jet propulsion units were in both flippers and at the back of the turtle. The mouth contained a second particle cannon.

"We're here too!" Keitaro was riding on the left flipper, holding a sword similar to Motoko's. His inner strength had come out, and he was prepared to help. Naru, Shinobu, Kitsune, and Mutsumi burst through the trees, looking tired and out of breath. The four girls had come by foot, and were apparently planning to just watch and cheer.

"Jump on! We'll get you up there!" Su's voice was being projected by some kind of speaker system. She was still flying the tamago at full speed, straight at River. He timed her before leaping up, spending a lot of his strength. He managed to land on the right flipper, though a little wobbly. Keitaro let out a terrified yell as he noticed that Su was still on a collision course with the waterfall. The young woman giggled as she jerked up on her control stick, making the mecha tama go vertical, it's jets on the bottom stopping it from hitting the side of the cliff beside of the waterfall. Both Keitaro and River were forced to grab on to the fins, almost sliding off. Keitaro was yelling wildly, while River just held on grimly. He was in too much pain to allow any other action to distract him from holding on. Su piloted the mecha tama better than any ace military pilot, dodging all of Motoko's attacks. The mecha tama shot past Motoko and into the air. It was in the next few moments that Motoko's keen eyes caught sight of a weakness in the Mecha tama. When it made was high enough, Su changed its course almost instantly again. In that moment, the mecha tama stopped completely in the air. Motoko slashed with her sword, sending one concentrated attack at the underside of the mecha tama.

Su felt a jerk on the controls, and then everything went wrong. The monitors that showed her the status of each weapon and system suddenly were filled with static. The mecha tama was out of control, it's rockets suddenly going to full power, taking them on a course that would end up with them crashing into the ground. Su tried to regain control, but she knew it was hopeless. She started to reach for the eject button, but realized Keitaro and River would still be stuck on the fins. Their only hope was if she could make the landing easier for them. She frantically began trying to reboot the controls, and was able to gain some manual control over the tama's maneuverability. She pulled the tama out of it's nose dive, but it was still too late. The tama hit the ground and began to skid across the ground. Keitaro and River were both thrown off as the tama began to spin across the ground. Su's last conscious thought was that she hoped that she had been able to save the two men she loved.

River couldn't remember ever having felt so much pain. He was lying face down on the ground, covered in dirt, and aching from several small scratches and cuts. He began trying to pick himself up off the ground, the pain slowing his movements. It was then that he saw the twisted wreck of metal that had been Su's mecha tamago. Keitaro was lying a short distance from the tama, still unconscious. Tears began to flow freely from his eyes. He heard Motoko's footsteps from behind him, and felt his own anger and sadness begin to rise up and give him strength. He stood up and faced Motoko, his eyes burning with a new reason to fight. He had no weapon, his ki energy was almost completely gone, but he still had to stop Motoko.

"Why Motoko! I'm the one who should have died!"

"You will die."

"That doesn't excuse you! You murdered her!"

"What are you talking about?"

"LOOK WHAT YOU DID TO HER! LOOK WHAT YOU DID TO SU!"

His words hit Motoko hard. She stopped walking towards him and looked at the wrecked tamago behind him. A fire had started, and was slowly beginning to consume the remains of the metal turtle. It took her a few moments to realize that he was telling the truth. In her rage, it hadn't occurred to her that Su or Keitaro were really even there. She had focused on River, allowing everything else to fade from her sight.

"Su! I'm coming Su," she started to run towards the wreckage, but as she was passing River, he grabbed her arm. She had thought he was hurt and weak, but his grip was like a vice upon her arm, keeping her from saving Su.

"You have done enough. I'll handle this, even if it kills me," he released his grip and put out a hand, waiting for Motoko. She nodded and handed him her sword. She had been cut to her core by his words. She had done enough.

He saw the tears forming in her eyes, and he felt some of his own anger evaporate. He turned away from Motoko and began running for the tamago. He still had enough energy for this. He might still have a chance to save her. He channeled his energy into the blade as he got close and then slashed, taking the top of the shell off with one blow. Now that he had a way in, he climbed up to where he had made his hole. When he looked down into the tamago, he felt his heart stop. Su was slumped over her controls; a long piece of metal was stuck in her shoulder, her blood flowing from the wound. River knew that he had very little time left, so he jumped into the tamago. He knew what he was about to do would hurt her, but it was necessary. He pulled the metal out of her shoulder, causing the young girl to jump in pain even in her unconscious state. His fingers ached as the rough and jagged metal bit into them. Su stopped jerking as the last of the metal was pulled out, but the blood continued to flow.

"Blood Render, Healing Palm," With the last of his ki, River placed his injured palm against her wound and focused. His blood poured into the wound, stopping her blood from leaving her body and slowly started sealing the wound. He gave her as much of his blood as he felt he could, hoping it would be enough to save her life. If he gave her too little, she would not survive after losing so much blood, but if he gave her too much, he was the one who would die.

He felt darkness beginning to creep upon him, so he knew he had to stop. He took the girl into his arms and with a shaky hand, picked up Motoko's sword once again. He cut open the side, making a hole big enough for him to get through. As the metal fell away to reveal the new opening, Motoko walked up, helping a limping Keitaro. River handed the unconscious girl to Motoko with a weak smile.

"She should survive. I'm glad we broke through to you Motoko, but I'm sorry about how we did it." River took a few weak steps before he fell to his knees and then onto his face. He had failed to defeat Motoko, failed to bring her into the light. He had failed to protect Su and Keitaro. And worst of all was that he was the cause of all their pain and suffering.

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Author's Note:

Sorry for the delay on my last two submissions. School has been kind of hectic for me this semester, but now that summer break is about to start, I shouldn't have anything stopping me from writing more. I've already started on the next chapter and have been forming ideas for the remaining storyline, and ideas for the sequal.


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